Beauty in the Palace
by pencils
Summary: Young Zuko is being sold as a slave to an unknown kingdom. He was determined to find out about his past until he stumbled upon a certain someone...Zutara


**Disclaimer**: I don't own A:TLA

**Summary**: Young Zuko is being sold as a slave to an unknown kingdom that he doesn't know. He was determined to find out about his past until he stumbled upon a certain someone….Zutara

**CHAPTER ONE**

* * *

There was a loud bang! as the doors flew opened allowing bright sunlight to fill in the stale room. Shifty eyes scanned through the dusty old room, watching these lifeless forms still asleep. The merchant flew into rage, his face changing into different shades of red, clearly irritated of having to wake these servants up. 

"GET UP!" his voiced boomed across the stuffy old room, causing several sleepy heads to jump up in surprise. Almost everyone woke up immediately; grumbling and cursing much to the merchant's dislike except for one particular young lad who seemed to be attached to the wooden floor.

All of them fell into silence as they watched the merchant stomping his way towards the unconscious boy who was fully unaware of what was happening.

--

"_I'm sorry my son……" as the young boy dressed in red watched tears forming in her eyes. The bewildered boy hesitatingly reached out for her pale face as he gently brushed her wet tears away. Only stopping when he watched her extending a clench fist forward to present him with something. Opening her palm to reveal a shiny red pendant, shaped of the fire nation symbol attached with a chain. She draped it over his head as her golden eyes met his gaze._

"_Remember who you are……Zuko…" She finished with a warm smile plastered on her face as his eyes watch her vanished into thin air, followed by the darkness consuming him…_

_--_

Golden eyes shot wide open, feeling a painful sensation from his stomach as he groggily look up at the dark figure looming above him. It was the merchant, Wang.

Strong arms reached out for the twelve-year old, grabbing him by his collar as beetle eyes glared daggers at the boy before tossing him aside turning his head to see the shock expressions from the people.

"Let this all be a warning to yer'!" he growled, tilting his head from side to side, sending shivers down everyone's spines when they met his gaze.

"The next time I catch you imbeciles oversleeping again…." The merchant didn't finish his sentence as he demonstrates the rest by bending a rock on to his palm before crushing it into tiny bits of dirt for everyone to see. He smirked, catching a glint of fear as everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

Anger was burning in his eyes as Zuko watched the merchant leave. With his hand clutching tightly on his pendant, he quickly recover from the shove, getting up slowly to prevent the sharp pain that stabbed his back from returning.

Picking himself up as he made his way to his morning duties.

--

"Fire lord Ozai has chosen Princess Azula to succeed the throne and that is final!" the minister said firmly.

"But Prince Zuko is his first born and has every right to succeed as the new fire lord..." the middle aged general protested.

"Don't be foolish General Iroh!" the minister snapped back at him.

"His highness has been missing for years and is probably dea-.." he was unable to complete his sentence as a fire ball came flying towards him, only ducking away from it in a nick of time.

"Don't you dare speak of the prince that way…" the general hissed at him, nostrils flared.

The minister watched in fear as the general stood up abruptly.

"He is not dead and I will find him!" Iroh declared as he marched out the door way and prepared for his quest.

--

"AH-CHOO!" went the young boy in the library as he dusted the shelves. Cursing under his breath, he tossed the duster aside. Zuko hated everything from the other servants who suck up to that stupid merchant to dusing every corner of this place. He groaned in frustration as he leaned his body against the shelf, thinking if only he had _power_….life would certainly be different.

But what was he anyway? Neither a commoner nor a wealthy boy, he was nothing except….. His index finger and thumb reached out to feel the cold, smooth surface of the pendant again.

His golden eyes studied the shiny red object in his fingers.

_The fire nation………_he whispered under his breath the only clue to his past and what he was. Zuko furrowed his eyebrows in concentration as he tried to recall that dream he had, that strange dream….He sighed, tucking the red pendant back into his filthy robes, wrinkling his nose in disgust. Zuko made a mental note to himself if he was wealthy, the first thing he would do was to get some new clothes and fast.

"Lee!" the same voice boomed again "GET YOURSELF UP HERE… NOW!"

Though he knew his real name was Zuko, that idiotic merchant insisted on having his name changed to Lee.

Rolling his eyes, he grabbed the duster and he ran as fast as his little legs could carry him…

---

**A/N**: was it Good? Bad? Read and Review! Thanks!


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